


Educating Olivia

by zoeteniets



Series: It's a cliché for a reason, honey [4]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family Feels, Homework, M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 10:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9067267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoeteniets/pseuds/zoeteniets
Summary: Liv hates school and nothing can change that. Or can it? (Or, the villagers in Emmerdale start covertly tutoring Liv to help her get through school. But she ends up learning about more than G.C.S.E. maths)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a response to the prompt: 'I love Roblivion and the little family dynamic that they have going on right now. I would love something to do with them being a little family in their new home. Dingle family celebration of some kind would also be great. But honestly I will be happy with anything.' This isn't quite on track, but I hope my giftee likes it!

**Robert**

It’s Chas that has the idea. So, later, when he hates the world and everything in it, he can at least blame her.

Robert is sitting at the dining room table frowning over a calculator when Liv wanders in from school. He looks up just quick enough to ask “homework?”

Liv responds with a careless, “obviously. I’ll do it later.”

Chas walks in from the kitchen, bright and breezy, “ah, no, you’ll do it now. Why don’t you sit here and do it; I’m sure Rob could do with the company…?”

“Um Chas,” he interrupts, “I don’t suppose you’ve noticed but this is a very important report I’m writing here, I can’t be babysitting too.”

“Nonsense,” Chas declares, “she’ll just be sitting doing homework. And if you get stuck, I’m sure she’ll be able to help you.” She winks at Liv, who continues to look vaguely unimpressed with the whole idea. “And,” Chas continues, “I’ll go and get you some cheeseburgers from Marlon for tea when you're both done if you need the extra motivation.”

Rob sighs; he can’t deny that it’s a good idea. At least this way he can keep an eye on Liv and check that she is actually working without sounding like a broken ‘have you done your homework yet’ record.

He shuffles his papers a bit, clears some space for Liv.

“I’m game if you are,” he challenges.

 

**Chas, Brenda, Nicola, Diane, and Bernice.**

Liv has left her school bag open on the dining table as she makes a cup of coffee in the kitchen, which is a really bad idea because it invites certain busybodies to stick their noses in where they are not wanted.

“What’s this, some light reading?” says Chas, fishing a copy of _Never Let Me Go_ out of the bag.

“God no,” says Liv, reaching out to snatch it back.

"Hey, I wasn't judging,” Chas has a glint in her eyes, “I was just going to say that my book club is reading this book this month as well.”

“Since when do you have a book club?” asks Rob from over the top of his newspaper.

“Since Brenda and I decided that this village could do with an injection of a bit of culture. I thought you would approve, Robert.”

He shrugs and goes back to the paper. But after a minute, sweet revenge, “well, if you’re all reading the same book you should take Liv to your book club too; might help with the revision.”

Chas blushes, “well, really it more an excuse to drink wine and…”

Robert’s not letting it go, “no, seriously! Liv can do with the extra study time. I’m sure she’d love to hear what you and your friends think of the book, wouldn’t you Liv?”

“I’d rather do literally anything else,” Liv deadpans.

…

Liv goes downstairs to pick up a can of coke and maybe a bag of crisps later that evening, which is clearly as a mistake because as soon as she opens the door to the living room the eyes of half the middle aged women in the village are on her.

“Um, why are you all here?”

“It was Chas’ turn to host our book club” Bernice cheerfully announces, waving her glass of wine in the air.

“Would you like to join us love?” says Brenda kindly, “I’ve bought cakes from the café as a treat.”

"Nah, you're alright," Liv replies

"No, come on stay," says Chas, "now that you're here, you might as well tell us what you think of the book."

Madness ensues. Everyone seems fascinated by the fact that yes, actually, they do still make teenagers read books, even though the syllabus has changed a lot since they were at school. By the time Liv has answered all their questions about G.C.S.E. English she is relieved to be left alone to go back to her room, though she is a little disappointed she couldn't talk any of them into giving her some wine. 

…

The next morning, Liv is amazed and a little horrified to find that for once she actually knows the answers to her teacher’s questions.

 

**Paddy**

When Aaron comes back from France he immediately latches onto Chas and Robert's idea of covertly tutoring Liv. So, she is very suspicious when a Saturday job at the vets suddenly becomes available and Aaron insists on her taking it. Of course, she kicks up a fuss because- and she’s not sure if she’s mentioned this lately- she’s an heiress, she does not need a job! 

But then she gets a look of disapproval from Aaron that she is sure he copied off his boyfriend.

“Anyway, I thought you said you were bored all the time,” said obnoxious boyfriend adds, “this way you’ll have something to do if your brother and I have to work at the weekend.”

“Oh sure, it’s got nothing to do with the fact that you want Saturday mornings to yourselves so you can snog each other’s faces off?”

“No!”

“Yes,” they answer at the same time. Aaron looks a bit scandalised. Rob just looks smug, but that’s more his face’s default setting.

Liv rolls her eyes at them so hard it hurts.

…

Liv’s never had any pets before so, and she will deny this _so hard_ if anyone asks, she’s actually a bit wary of them. She has no way of knowing whether a cat likes her enough for it to tolerate her petting it, and some of the bigger animals make her anxious.

Paddy notices she seems a bit quiet, which gives him the perfect opportunity to initiate a heart-to-heart, whether she needs it or not. 

Later, she will say that the moment she started liking her job was when she got to help deliver a litter of kittens after Aaron found a pregnant stray nesting in one of the scrap cars. If she starts paying a bit more attention in chemistry after Paddy tells her that he’d had to do all three science subjects and maths at A-level even though he’d only ever really liked biology, it's not like anyone cares enough to notice.

 

**Pearl**

Aaron pops into the surgery at lunchtime one day; Liv has forgotten her lunch on the kitchen table and he’s brought it round for her. He’s amazed to find her hunched over the reception computer with Pearl, directing her where to click and what to type.

"I can set this up for you so that the computer puts in all the information automatically so that you don't have to do it by hand each time," she says, "we learnt how to do it in school."

When Liv comes home that night, Rob winks at her over the top of his pint.

“Aaron told me how well you were getting on at work. You know, I read somewhere that teaching someone else something is the best way to learn it. Maybe you should set up a computer clinic in the village- help some of the other oldies out with your ICT skills. ”

"Sounds way too much like hard work to me," she says, stealing a chip from his plate.

 

**Marlon and Carly**

“Whatareyoudoinginmykitchen!” says Marlon all in one breath.

“I was just…” Liv says, automatically reaching for a lie. She takes a deep breath, “I was looking for some books on nutrition…”

“But why? And why are you doing it in _my_ kitchen? Don’t you have libraries for that?”

“But all the books they have are really boring! I didn’t know they’d actually make us write coursework and stuff for G.C.S.E. P.E. or I would never have taken it!”

“Why don’t you ask Robert for help,” suggests Marlon, “somewhere a bit less in the way…?”

 “I don’t think Robert knows anything about optimising a diet for a training athlete, do you? Between you and me he’s getting a bit round in the belly, isn’t he?”

Marlon chuckles, “Ok, well, I’m a bit busy right now, but if you come round to my place this evening I’m sure Carly will take you through her ‘meal plan’.”

“I don’t want to be a bother,” she says shuffling her feet on the floor, embarrassed about having to ask for help, “it’s just Mr Upton wants us to do a project or something and I couldn’t think what else to do.”

“Hey! It’s not a problem, I was just a bit surprised. I don’t really understand all the sports-talk so I think Carly well be glad of someone to talk to. And I think it’s a fantastic idea.”

“Well, ok then," she says and slinks out of the kitchen.

**Harriet**

“I just don’t fucking understand this!” Liv groans, hitting her forehead down on the table in frustration.

“Go to church!” Robert says.

“Oh, come on, she only swore once,” Aaron reasons.

“No,” Robert laughs, “I mean, if she’s struggling with her R.E. homework she should go and talk to someone who actually knows about it.”

“That’s a good idea actually. What is it exactly that you are trying to revise?” Aaron asks her.

“Christian and Muslim attitudes to crime and punishment,” Liv says, not bothering to lift her head up.

“That sounds like something Harriet would know loads about, given that she used to be a private investigator,” says Robert, knowing that it will get her attention. 

“What, no way,” replies Liv, lifting her head, and genuinely looking interested, “why did she give up such a cool job to be a vicar then?”

“You’ll have to ask her…” replies Rob with a sly wink.

“Harriet is usually in the café this time in the morning, isn’t she?” says Aaron moving to pick his jacket up off the back of Rob’s chair, “I was going to pop out anyway. If you come with me I’ll buy you a doughnut,” he says to Liv.

“What about me?” pouts Robert.

"I'll bring you back one of Bob's flavoured coffees," Aaron says, gesturing Liv out of the door.

She pretends not to notice how Rob grabs Aaron to pull him down for a kiss, murmuring, “you’re the best,” to him.

 

**Aaron**

Despite Rob’s scheming earning them some extra money to help do the place up, they have decided to do as much of the work the can themselves. The boys go to work on the house every Saturday, and Liv joins them there after finishing work at the vets. Then they stay there overnight, sleeping under a tarpaulin, and pretending they are not cold, so that they can start work first thing on Sunday morning. 

She’s not completely thick, so she knows that Aaron is using all the correct technical terms for the tools they are using as a way of covertly helping her revise for her D and T G.C.S.E. But she is sort of enjoying the chance to share something with her brother, and she feels a surge of pride when she looks at the kitchen as it comes together.

Aaron is very patient with her as he takes her through the different terminology. He quietly tells her the name of all the parts and pieces and explains some of the more tricky DIY techniques. Between working on the house, Aaron’s patient handholding, and the knowledge that they are creating something that is completely theirs, Liv finds herself really looking forwards to the weekends.

And she is loving the fact that for once in her life she knows more about something than Robert Sugden. She takes great pleasure in asking him to hand her various technically named items throughout the day.

He’s working on something in the Livingroom whilst she and Aaron are putting together cabinets in the kitchen, so she shouts through to him, “Robert, can you bring in the countersunk head rivets.”

“The what?”

“The countersunk rivets, they’re next to the knock-down joints.”

“Errrr, what do they look like?”

“They look like an upside-down pan head rivet.”

“I swear to God Liv if you’re mucking me around…”

Aaron is looking at her from over the top of a kitchen cabinet that he’s putting together on the floor. He looks a little surprised to see her teasing Rob on her own in this way. She raises an eyebrow, challenging him to join in.

“God Rob, do you not know what a countersunk head rivet looks like?” Aaron shouts through.

Liv laughs behind her hand as Robert pokes his head around the door.

“Not you too,” Rob sighs.

“Come on Rob, even my little sister knows what they different types of rivet are,” Aaron sighs dramatically.

“Yes, well, your little sister is apparently going to very well on her Design and Technology exam,” Rob says with a wink to her.

In that moment, Aaron's attention is completely diverted. Between the wink and the fact that Rob has both rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, Aaron switches to what Liv likes to call ‘Robert vision mode' where apparently nothing exists apart from his husband-to-be.

When Aaron says, “I’ll come help you find them,” she knows that they’re going to be gone for at least half an hour. But she doesn’t mind really; she thinks she’s got the hang of putting these cabinets together on her own.

Later, when they’re all moved in, she gets a small thrill in knowing which cabinets are the ones she made herself.

 

**Robert (again)**

It’s Liv’s first ever Dingle Christmas. She’s not quite sure what to expect; even when her parents were still together Christmases tended to be quiet affairs. And then, when it was just her and her mother, Christmases usually meant nothing more than a handful of carelessly wrapped presents and a day in front of the telly.

She is woken up on Sunday morning by what sounds like a small party going on downstairs. As she blinks the sleep from her eyes she notices a jumper folded on her bed, a big shiny red ribbon on top of it. It becomes obvious as she goes downstairs that Chas and Charity are already well into the holiday spirit, colour high on their cheeks and wearing the type of lazy smiles that only come after a few glasses of Bucks Fizz. Noah is there too, although he is distracted with some shiny new toys that he’s obviously been given to keep him quiet.

She potters around the kitchen, covertly trying to suss out if any of the presents under the tree are for her, while she waits for her brother and his boyfriend to appear. She eats a handful of Quality Street chocolates for breakfast and half watches a few episodes of the _Come Dine With Me_ Christmas specials. Aaron and Robert eventually appear, their own cheeks flushed for reasons Liv would rather not think about.  

It's only when they all go through to meet Chas and co. in the pub that Liv realises what she's let herself in for. If Chas and Charity are this loud this early, she's not sure how she's going to cope with a whole clan of Dingles. But In a quiet moment, she catches Rob with a similarly apprehensive look on his face and remembers that this is his first Dingle Christmas too. 

They all trudge up to Wishing Well Cottage where Lisa plies them with food. Liv gets a second helping of turkey and mercilessly teases Rob when she finds out that he is just about the only person in the world who actually likes Brussel sprouts. 

After that, it's present time. Aaron gives her a brand-new smartwatch and she’s surprised to receive some new clothes from Chas. But the most extraordinary gift of all comes from Robert, who gives her a leather-bound sketchbook and a beautiful set of graphite pencils.

He blushes a bit when he sees her shocked expression, “you don’t like them…” he stammers.

“No! I do. I just… How did you know?”

“Well, I do live with you; I see you sketching all the time,” he shrugs, “and Aaron left your school report on the kitchen table. Seems Ms Haigh is a bit of a fan…”

“Thanks,” she mumbles, fingers brushing over the smooth paper. 

They stay with the Dingles before Rob insists that he needs to go home to call his grandma. But Liv knows that the real reason he wants to go back in order to watch the _Dr Who_ Christmas special, the nerd. Aaron smirks, but Liv sees his eyes soften with fondness as Rob loses himself in the drama. They keep the telly on afterwards, content to lounge about until Liv feels her eyes start to droop just as a detective series starts… 

…

The telly is still playing quietly in the background when she wakes up. There’s a bit of a crick in her neck, which means she must have fallen asleep on the sofa. When she moves her head to the side a bit to stretch it out she sees that Aaron has done the same as her, his head turned towards her, resting on the back of the sofa as he snores ever so gently. 

Moving a little bit more, she notices that Rob is sitting on one of the dining table chairs, facing towards the sofa. He has a pencil tucked behind his ear, two more in his hand, and he is frowning down at her new sketchbook.

“What are you doing…?” she asks sleepily. 

“Oh Liv!” he says, clearly surprised that she is awake, “I was just…”

“Why have you got my sketchbook?” she continues.

“Well, I was just… um…” he lowers his voice, “you and your brother were asleep, and you looked so… I just wanted to draw you, and your things were on the table. I’m sorry for using them without your permission.”

She gets up from the sofa and moves so that she can look over his shoulder, “you’re forgiven, as long as you let me see what you drew.”

He looks a bit unsure, “it’s not very good…”

Thing is, though, it is Liv realises as she pulls the sketchbook towards her to have a better look at the drawing. She sees a graphite drawing of her and Aaron on the sofa, in the positions that they must have been in before she woke up. Rob has drawn an impression of the sofa they were sleeping on but has concentrated on the details on her and her brother. Rob has lovingly recreated the stubble on Aaron's jaw, the fabric of their Christmas jumpers, and the shine of Liv’s hair.

She’s very impressed.

“How did you do all this?”

Rob looks a bit sheepish, and but then he gestures for Liv to pull up a chair and then begins describing a few of the different techniques he has used to create different areas of light, shade, and texture. Liv listens, utterly amazed that there is a whole topic that Rob is something of an expert on that she would never have known about if she hadn't woken up when she did.

“Can I keep the drawing?” she asks.

“Well, sure, but I don’t see why you’d want to,” Rob says, handing the book over to her. Liv doesn’t think she’s ever heard Rob be so modest about anything ever, and she almost wishes her brother was awake enough to witness this too.

…

It is present giving time of their first Christmas at the newly renovated Mill when Liv hands a large, thin parcel to Aaron.

"This one is a collaborative present, between me and Rob," Liv says and enjoys the look of confusion on Rob's face. She's been keeping this present a secret for nearly a whole year and is sure that neither he or her brother have any clue what it is.

Aaron takes a deep gulping breath as he opens it.

“Oh, my God Liv, this is amazing,” he breaths, holding the framed sketch carefully in both hands, “did you draw this?”

“No,” she admits, grinning at Robert.

 “I did,” Rob admits, very quietly.

Aaron looks at his husband with great big shining eyes, and so Liv takes the opportunity to explain before anyone starts crying.

"He drew this last Christmas after you and I fell asleep on the sofa," she explains to her brother, "I woke up and saw him doing it. I asked to keep it, and I've had it in a draw this whole time. I picked the frame for it, though."

“But I didn’t even know you could draw,” Aaron says to Rob, “and this is so good…”

“Well, I never have much time to do it,” Rob explains, “but it’s something I like to do when I get the chance.”

“Is this why you asked Rob and not me to take you to that gallery in Leeds?” Aaron asks Liv, “it all makes sense now. Thank you for this, both of you. This is the best present ever.”

…

The sketch hangs in the centre of a big wall in the hallway, so it is the first thing anyone sees when they enter the house. Surrounding it are various photographs of the three of them, as well as some pictures of the extended Dingle and Barton clans. As the years go by various other things are added; Liv’s G.C.S.E. results are hung on the wall, as are her A-levels.

Her university acceptance letter hangs there too.

**Author's Note:**

> I used to get so frustrated with Liv whenever she complained about school, and this fic started off as a response to that. But I also wanted to show how the dynamic between her and Robert has changed, which is why this fic focuses so much on them. I hope you enjoyed it! I certainly had fun imagining which subjects at school each of the villagers would be able to help Liv with :) 
> 
> Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!!


End file.
